Who could've predicted such results for the English sides in the Champions League Round-of-16 first-leg matches over the past two nights?
Arsenal trailed Bayern München by three goals before scoring a vital away goal in the 89th minute, losing by a final score of 3-1. Chelsea opened the scoring at Camp Nou with Belletti's own goal, but then saw Didier Drogba sent off and Barcelona came back to win 2-1. Manchester United perhaps fared the worst amongst English sides, losing 1-0 to Milan at Old Trafford thanks to another blunder from Roy Carroll. At least Arsenal and Chelsea carry an away goal each when they return home for the second leg; United must now travel to San Siro and score one goal more than Milan does.
The big surprise of this week is Liverpool, who were ahead by three before Bayer Leverkusen found a lifeline through Franca in the last seconds. 3-1 is a lot less secure than 3-0, but with Gerrard set to return for the second leg after serving his suspension this match, a single goal at the BayArena in two weeks will force Leverkusen to equal the three Liverpool scored at Anfield. Of course, considering that Leverkusen scored three or more in each European home match they've played this season, Liverpool will have their hands full as they must buck that trend or face elimination.
Back on the topic of United's goalkeeping crisis, Sir Alex Ferguson must be searching for a new keeper this summer. Granted, they have conceded only 16 goals in 27 matches in the Premiership, second only to Chelsea, and have kept cleansheets in 8 of 9 domestic cup games (4 FA Cup, 4 Carling Cup before semi-final replay exit to Chelsea). But the fact remains that neither Howard nor Carroll have shown the ability to inspire confidence in the back four the way Peter Schmeichel did. We need a proven keeper, whether it's a veteran like Edwin van der Sar or Francesco Toldo, or young ones like Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon, Sebastian Frey, Petr Cech, or Timo Hildebrand. All eyes will be on Sir Alex when the transfer window opens again in July.
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